Apparatus for inducing forced draft in locomotives.



L. C. LOEWENSTEIN.

APPARATUS FOR INDUCING FORCED DRAFT IN LOCOMOTIVES, APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1914.

l l 8 l 780 Patented May 2, 1916.

Inventor:

Louis C. Loewe stein, Wm

aqttlu.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS C. LOEWENSTEIN, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR INDUCING FORCED DRAFT IN LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1,181,780. Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed April 9, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS C. LOEWEN- STEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Inducing Forced Draft in Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for inducing forced draft in locomotives, and particularly to an arrangement for utilizing for such purpose a-fan or bloweroperated directly by a turbine wheel driven by live steam from the boiler. Such an arrangement has the advantage that it avoids the necessity of passing the exhaust steam from the engine cylinders through a nozzle placed in the stack and which creates forced draft as is now common practice, thereby permitting the engine to exhaust directly into the atmosphere instead of against the back pressure due to the nozzle. As is well known, this is desirable in that it increases the output of the engine by relieving the steam cylinders of the back pressure, thus giving them the benefit of exhausting at atmospheric pressure.

One object of my invention is to provide an arrangementwhich is simple and compact and which can be readily applied to existing locomotives.

A further object is to provide a simple means of controlling the turbine whereby I avoid the use of the usual and more trouble some speed governor and emergency device.

Referring to the drawing wherein I have illustrated one form which my invention may take, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomot ve with my improved apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the apparatus show-. ing the same in place in the locomotive head, and Fig. 3 is a face view.

4 is a locomotive, the stack 5 of which communicates with the smoke chamber (3 in the head of the locomotive and in front of the tube sheet 7 which supports the fire tubes 8. An opening 15 formed in the front wall of .the head and adjacent the same is hinged a door or cover 9, the hinge being indicated at 10. The door is held closed by suitable catches .10. This door or coverhas a reinforced opening 11 through which extends the overhung shaft 12, the outer end of Serial No. 830,564.

which is supported by suitable bearings 13 carried by the bracket 14. The inner or overhung end of the shaft carries the turbine wheel 15 and the impeller wheel 16 of a centrifugal fan or blower. v

17 is a cone shaped funnel arranged in front of the fire tubes for directing the prod catching cinders and sparks, the same be ing deflected by the screen through the open ing 21 in the bottom of the funnel into the trap or pocket 22. i

The impeller wheel 16 may be of any suitable construction and has suitably curved blades 23 which receive gases at the side and deliver them around the periphery.

24, 24 are two independent nozzles or sets of nozzles arranged in the door, and from either of which the turbine wheel 15 may receive steam. Ordinarily a single nozzle in each set is sufiicient. Steam is fed to one or the other of these nozzles through the pipe 26 which extends back into the cab and from there to the steam dome 27. In the portion of this pipe which is within the cab arranged the control valve 28, by means of which the engineer may start and stop the turbine. At a point adjacent the nozzles the pipe 26 is branched, one branch leading-to each nozzle. The passage of steam to one branch or the other is controlled by the three-way valve 26. Adjacent the nozzles 24 is a third nozzle or set of nozzles 24" leading to which is a connector 31, the passage through which is closed by the plug The turbine is preferably arranged to exhaust into the casing surrounding the impeller wheel and thence to the stack. In the present instance it is shown as exhausting through the annular opening 25. By this arrangement, the exhaust gases which leave the periphery of the impeller at a high velocity, create an induced suction for the exhaust steam of the turbine thereby "reducin the pressure in the chamber surrounding the turbine wheel to atmospheric or something less. This permits the turbine 2o operator as possible. To this en with the usual speed governor to utilize the steam from its initial pressure to'a pressure about atmospheric or less.

. opening 11 and the shaft 12 can, therefore,

be utilized, which has the advantages of being more freely running, subject to. less wear and cheaper to construct.

It is of primary importance in an apparatus of this character that the controlling mechanisnrbe simple in structure and require as little attention on the art of the (l I dispense and emergency shut-oil means and control the tur- "bine by means of the reducing valve 29 and the pop-safety valve 30 located in the pipe 96, the safety valve being between the turbine and the reducing valve. The turbine nozzle is made with a properly predetermined area'sd'that with a certain steam pressure 'supplied the turbine runs at its desired speed.

Thereducing-valve 29 is set to reduce the existing steam pressure exactly or approximately to a desired value, which results in the turbine speed remaining constant. The

,safety valve 30 is adjusted so as to keep the and the blower operated from the other.

bine wheel are of such diameter pass through .the opening in the head and, Q5

pressure below a certain maximum pressure above that called for-by the reducing valve and act only when the reducing valve fails to act; This will prevent the turbine from running away in operation, Therefore, when it :is desired to induce forced draft the "engineer has merely. to open the valve 28. The three-Way valve 26* will be set to feed steam to either of the nozzles 24. The

nozzles are comparatively small and are .hable at times to become clo ged. By pro viding two nozzles, either of which may be used, it will 'be apparent that in case one becomes clogged, the valve 26 can be turned It; will be noted that the blower and turas to readily that all the -operating parts are carried by the cover. By this arrangement the parts Bean readily be removed for inspection or repair, it being merely necessary to unjoint the pipe 26 as at 33, turnthe catches 10, and

swing the door on its hinges to open position.

The blower can also be used for cleaning the fire tubes when the engine is in the round house, and for this purpose the set of nozzles 24; is employed. For cleaning purposes a much greater suction must be employed than that necessary for producing forced draft. This is obtained by speeding up the turbine and impeller wheel. This higher speed may be obtained by supplying very high pressure steam to the nozzle or nozzles, by increasing the nozzle area, or by both. In the present instance I have shown the nozzle area 9.4 as being somewhat greater than that of nozzles When it is desired to clean the fire tubes, the plug 32 is removed and a. suitable source of steam or other fluid pressure is connected to connector 31. The impeller wheel will then run at much higher speed and produce suction great enough for tube cleaning purposes. The extra set of nozzles 24 may also he used for creating draft when getting up steam and before any steam is available from the locomotive itself. In fact, the apparatus will be found to he very useful for this purpose and will create forced draft so as to enable the operator to get up steam much more quickly than is ordinarily the case.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

' l. The combination in a locomotive having a blower for creating forced draft, of a turbine wheel for driving the blower, :1. fluid directing means for supplying motive fluid thereto, a pipe conncctin g the fluid directing means with the steam supply of the locomotive, means for controlling the flow through said pipe, and a second fluid directing means located adjacent the first and adapted to have an auxiliary supply of motive fluid connected thereto.

2. The combination in a locomotive having a blower for creating forced draft, of a turbine wheel for driving the blower, a pair of nozzles through either of which motive fluid may be directed to the wheel, a pipe, means for connecting the'pipc to either of said nozzles, and a third nozzle of greater area than the first named nozzles arranged adjacent thereto. 4

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of April, 1914.

' LOUIS C. LOElVENSTEIN.

\Vitnesses JOHN A. McMANUs, Jr., ADA J. Pn'r'rnc. 

